ENV-604: ENHANCED ELECTRO-OXIDATION FOR TKN REMOVAL FROM HIGHLY POLLUTED INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER

Many industrial effluents contain concentrated Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN), which may might be also accompanied with ammonia, sulfur, iron, total solids, etc. Conventional wastewater treatment plants are unable to remove TKN, to a level acceptable for the ecosystem, thus, such wastewater has to be treated at the source; however, adequate methods have not been demonstrated yet. The industrial wastewater of concern, which contained 14 g TKN/L and 11 g NH4/L had a low probability to be biologically treated, therefore, an enhanced electro-oxidation method was proposed in this study. The industrial effluent was subjected to a series of tests, where finally the electro-Fenton oxidation demonstrated the best results; however, the method was designed to be effective without an addition of external iron; iron pollutant contained in wastewater was used instead. DC electrical field permitted to keep iron at an adequate state for the Fenton reactions. The results from batch reactors of 2.2L showed an excellent removal of TKN and ammonia - 98.7% and 99.5%, respectively. In order to decrease the detention time to 24h, an Electro-Fenton Sequential Batch Reactor (EF-SBR) was invented and designed. Considering a low degradability of TKN in the form of amides, the developed Enhanced Electro-Fenton Oxidation method based on wastewater components, is an effective approach in preventing the discharge of organic nitrogen to the sewage system and therefore protecting the environment. Moreover, the proposed design is sustainable since limits supplying additional chemicals and optimizes energy use. The technology is ready for a full-scale application

A Review of Sustainable Management of Mine Tailings

Abstract. This paper summarizes research done on mine tailings management and explores new trends in the sustainable re-use of these tailings in construction activities. It is concluded that no research to date had addressed the issue of using hardened mine tailings as construction materials for temporary access unpaved roads in cold climates

Electrokinetically Assisted Oil-Water Phase Separation in Oily Sludge with Implementing Novel Controller System

Upstream and downstream petroleum industry generate of significant amounts of oily sludge per day. On the other hand, a disposal of such sludge requires expensive pre-treatments following local regulations. Conventional processes, like centrifugal separation provide sludge volume reduction and water extraction. However, water-in-oil emulsion requires extra stages for phase separation, which overall increases the costs. Therefore, electrokinetically (EK) assisted oil-water phase separation method was considered. In this study, a novel implemented controller, installed into the EK system, permitted to increase the length of exposure time to electrical field, while a significant decrease of energy consumption was observed. The controller, implemented based on Percolation Theory and applied to a linear horizontal EK system, showed enhanced sludge demulsification and improvement the quality of separated fractions. TGA analysis showed a superior quality of liquids extracted by EK with controller comparing to liquids without controller or generated by centrifuging process. A reaction rate with respect to temperature to assess the presence of water in the oil was also defined. The method, shown in this paper, advances the oil-water phase separation and permits for better oil recovery and sludge volume reduction

A Conceptual Cost Benefit Analysis of Tailings Matrices Use in Construction Applications

As part of a comprehensive research program, new tailings matrices are formulated of combinations of tailings and binder materials. The research program encompasses experimental and numerical analysis of the tailings matrices to investigate the feasibility of using them as construction materials in cold climates. This paper discusses a conceptual cost benefit analysis for the use of these new materials. It is shown here that the financial benefits of using the proposed new tailings matrices in terms of environmental sustainability are much higher when compared to normal sand matrices

A Conceptual Cost Benefit Analysis of Tailings Matrices Use in Construction Applications

As part of a comprehensive research program, new tailings matrices are formulated of combinations of tailings and binder materials. The research program encompasses experimental and numerical analysis of the tailings matrices to investigate the feasibility of using them as construction materials in cold climates. This paper discusses a conceptual cost benefit analysis for the use of these new materials. It is shown here that the financial benefits of using the proposed new tailings matrices in terms of environmental sustainability are much higher when compared to normal sand matrices

GA-Fuzzy Decision Support System for Mercury Removal in Natural Waters

The idea of this research is to apply sustainability and augment efficiency of the aquatic systems by intelligent tools. This paper exploits fuzzy logic approach as a flexible methodology for providing supplementary information about mercury removal in natural waters. Fuzzy logic generates information on Hg behaviour in water according to its uptake by bio-species and adsorption by sediments. Fuzzy Decision Support System (FDSS) comprises knowledge base (i.e. premises and conclusions), fuzzy sets, and fuzzy rules. Knowledge base and rules are being built manually and by algo-rithm. GA-FDSS incorporates genetic algorithm GA to build optimal approximation for knowledge base, fuzzy sets, and rules. The role of integrating GA with FDSS is to train knowledge base and rules automatically from available data, hence FDSS models and predicts conclusion acquired. The findings of this research show more than 95 % correlation between observed data and soft computed data. The optimal biological uptake occurs at pH of 5.5. The optimal sedi-ment adsorption occurs at pH of 8. The final mercury concentration calculated in natural waters is about 7 10–8 mole/L. The results show that the removal efficiency of mercury by natural waters approaches 97%. Consequently the obtained fuzzy logic informative hierarchy is proficient to manage metals removal by aquatic systems

Multiple Regression Analysis of Unconfined Compression Strength of Mine Tailings Matrices

As part of a novel approach of sustainable development of mine tailings, experimental and numerical analysis is carried out on newly formulated tailings matrices. Several physical characteristic tests are carried out including the unconfined compression strength test to ascertain the integrity of these matrices when subjected to loading. The current paper attempts a multiple regression analysis of the unconfined compressive strength test results of these matrices to investigate the most pertinent factors affecting their strength. Results of this analysis showed that the suggested equation is reasonably applicable to the range of binder combinations used

Multiple Regression Analysis of Unconfined Compression Strength of Mine Tailings Matrices

As part of a novel approach of sustainable development of mine tailings, experimental and numerical analysis is carried out on newly formulated tailings matrices. Several physical characteristic tests are carried out including the unconfined compression strength test to ascertain the integrity of these matrices when subjected to loading. The current paper attempts a multiple regression analysis of the unconfined compressive strength test results of these matrices to investigate the most pertinent factors affecting their strength. Results of this analysis showed that the suggested equation is reasonably applicable to the range of binder combinations used